Haruka's Knighthood
by Shoujoka
Summary: Set in the Silver Millenium To a princess, everything is forbidden. Life, love, and rights are all stripped from their grasp. But when Princess Uranus challenges the law, everything she's ever known is threatened. Shoujo Ai
1. Revelations

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailormoon or any of the characters presented in this fic. (Except the ones I made up. ) But I do own these ideas, and please... Don't sue me!  
  
A/N: This IS a Haruka/Michiru fic therefore it Does contain some elements of shoujo-ai. (Female/Female Relationship) So if this offends you turn back now, if not please read and review! (This takes place in the Silver Millennium)  
  
Princess Uranus was asleep in the canopy bed, four stories up at the tip of the Uranian castle, the sunlight peeked through Haruka's drapes. Haruka groaned and turned over but her lady in waiting hustled over and pulled the blankets back with much difficulty, considering the stubborn princess had latched onto them without a thought of letting them go. "Uranus-sama! Uranus-sama! Wake Up!" The maid cried, doing her best to wake the sleeping girl up, pulling back curtains, screaming commands, moving the furniture.... And yet all this was in vain, "Uranus-sama... It's your birthday today." The maiden left smirking, knowing that had done the trick.  
  
Haruka opened her eyes as the words registered and straightened up, "My birthday.....?" Walking wobbly over to the calendar above her dressing room she realized the maid was right. She was going to turn sixteen today! The princess dashed to her closet and changed into a long gold gown, she put on some high heels and frowned as she tried walking out. She tripped several times and swung at odd angles because of the layers of the dress and the height of the heels. Haruka stood up and leaned onto the banister, "Damned things, how come I can't wear pants and boots like my brothers can?" She muttered, realizing exactly how uncomfortable her least fancy outfit was. Haruka angrily leaned onto the banister and slowly made her way down the stairs, she had to concentrate so hard on not tripping she didn't realize all the odd looks she was getting once she reached the bottom. "What...?" Haruka asked to nobody in particular then her eyes widened, her guests were already here!  
  
The princess did her best to walk gracefully over to the other princesses, Neptune and Saturn. Pluto was busy with problems in the timeline and the inner planetary princesses wouldn't have been able to travel here in time. Michiru laughed as Haruka sat down and rearranged then arranged all the ruffles on her dress, "Aren't you comfortable Uranus- chan?" Haruka blushed and let go of her skirts, "I'd rather be in pants." She groaned, Hotaru giggled. "Uranus-chan, don't you think princesses will look odd in pants? But your sixteen now and you can make your own choices! I can't wait to be that old!" Michiru and Haruka sweatdropped, they felt as if they had both been called old hags. Michiru was the first to speak up, "I'm betting that you have some choices you would like to make when you turn sixteen." A princess controlling her own life was highly frowned upon throughout the solar system, because it was a sign of independence – Which the men think women shouldn't have. It seems they have yet to realize the most powerful person throughout the world is a woman. Queen Serenity. And yet it was frowned upon, especially when it comes to falling in love. A princess was always to marry a knight by the time they turn eighteen, this way common men were kept away from the throne - Nothing else was to be allowed.  
  
Hotaru smiled and was about to reply when the doors to the Uranian Ballroom opened, three knights entered. To seemingly looked seventeen and one was twelve – Obviously there to court Hotaru. Haruka stared at them and turned to Michiru, "Neptune-chan? Why are they here...?" She asked, an obvious question but Haruka feared the answer. The Neptunian woman laughed, "To dance with us of course!" Haruka turned red and looked down. "Neptune- chan... I can't dance." This time Michiru really laughed her cheeks tinted pink and she giggled mercilessly, "It's not hard Uranus. Here , I'll teach you." Michiru took Haruka's hand and pulled her up, Michiru but one of Haruka's hands on her waist and the other in her own, then she placed her other hand on Haruka's shoulder. At that, Neptune led her into a tantalizing waltz. The pair spun around the room all eyes were staring at the odd couple, two princesses dancing together but neither seemed to mind. Michiru was leading but Haruka soon found out how to do it and took the dominant spot, Michiru smiled, "Your really getting the hang of this!" Then the music stopped and both princesses parted, laughing merrily.  
  
The knights stood there dumbfounded until the youngest knight from Saturn bowed to Hotaru and asked her to dance. Hotaru smiled and winked at Haruka and Michiru mouthing, 'Great Dancers!' then took the young knight's hand and was lead to the center of the room where the music started up once again. The two other knights slowly began to regain their composure – and their color and walked up to the remaining princesses. The Neptunian knight, a stout boy with ferret eyes took Michiru's hand without forewarning and jerked her towards the ballroom floor, Michiru yelped in surprise and pain but she had little time to protest when the boy started rudely pushing her around the floor. Haruka frowned and was about to run over there to help but the other man took her attention. "Uranus-sama? Would you like to dance with me." He asked, looking into her eyes. Haruka's cold gray ones bore into his and her long blonde hair fell over her shoulders. "Fine." She said after a moment of tenseness, he took her hand and gently lead her to the floor. The knight tried to put his hand on her hip but her glare told him to move it to her shoulder, soon they were off – Haruka was leading. The knight was mortified! He pressed his weight into her shoulders and tried to regain the lead but Haruka wasn't about to let him, soon it was a silent battle over who had the winning hand.  
  
Soon after the war for lead had erupted a scream erupted from to the left. Haruka turned and saw her vulgar knight pulling her closer to him, moving his hands over her back. Michiru tried to resist but the man ripped her skirt all the way up to her thigh, Haruka glared at him with piercing eyes. As the knight moves onto Michiru trying to get her to cooperate and lead her away Haruka walks over and taps him on the shoulder before any of the Uranian guardians could react. The knight turned and looked Haruka up and down, "Forget it, it's not you I want it's her." Haruka smirked and clenched her fist, "Well it is you I want, let's just say this will be you 'party favor.'" Haruka punched him quickly and fiercely in the chest, knocking the breath out of him and making him collapse to the floor. Michiru saw this as a chance to get away and ran off, Haruka followed her and the Uranian Second Queen looked mortified, but the King looked expectant this was how his daughter usually acted – He guessed his second wife and Haruka's stepmother didn't know that.  
  
Haruka crept into the castle gardens and found Michiru in a fetal pose sobbing into her dress. "Neptune-chan?" She asked, creeping over to the girl, she pulled her cloak off and wrapped it around her friend while sitting down next to her, "Are you okay?" Neptune smiled and looked up, holding the golden cloak close to her. Her eyes masked a long sadness and she spoke, her voice cracking frequently. "Uranus-chan. I'm afraid... The Neptunian knights are being awfully familiar with me these days and they are in a competition over who can win my hand. They have been vulgar and cruel to me the past few years... Trying to force me to fall in love with the, a-and I can't! I want to wait!" She was confessing years of pain to Haruka and the other girl stared, wrapping one arm around her best friend she hugged her and allowed Michiru to cry into her shoulder, not caring for the fact that her tears would leave a stain. "Neptune-chan, it will be okay. I can teach you some self-defense moves to make them back off! Or since your sixteen too you can pledge to your father to make a restraint order against them!" Michiru smiled at Haruka's earnest and pulled away, "The self-defense moves would be nice... But my father will not allow me to make my own choices." Haruka's eyes grew understanding, "Well I'll start teaching you next week! How does that sound?" Michiru nodded happily and she laughed brokenly, "It sounds terrific!" A Neptunian carriage pulled up and an elderly driver stepped out and bowed to Neptune. "Neptune-sama, it is time to return home." Michiru looked up and smiled, she turned to Haruka. "I have to go now, see you next week?" Haruka smiled, "Hai." Michiru began to take the cloak off to hand back to Haruka but the blonde princess noticed Michiru's dress was still ripped, Haruka held up her hand. "Keep it, I have a ton!" Michiru laughed and got into the carriage, it soon pulled off and Michiru waved as they descended from the Uranian castle.  
  
Uranus smiled and stands up, she began walking into the palace when her father called her, Uranus walked to the throne room where her gentle father was and to his right sat her stepmother... The second queen of Uranus. Haruka bowed and stood up, her father smiled. "Haruka, you know your behavior today was hardly acceptable." Haruka nodded, "I know..." The princess wanted to protest against the punishment, but she knew that if she did then she would have to repeat what Neptune confessed to her earlier and she didn't wish to do that. The king saw the look of masked helplessness in his daughter's eyes and smiled, "Your punishment is to clean every window in the castle.... But you are quite a great fighter if I do say so myself, where did you learn all that?" Haruka's eyes lit up as she realized how small her punishment was, then she looked down. "I learned that by watching the knights train.... Father, you know I am sixteen now and I have the right to make my own choices." The king nodded frowning, somehow he knew where this was going but he kept silent. "So father, my first and foremost decision is... That after watching the knights train as I was a child I was mesmerized by the magic and sword work, so father I would like to train to be a knight. I have waited until I was sixteen to state my proposal... So now I believe that my choice shall be heard." Haruka bowed again and stood waiting for the answer, like a guilty man waiting for the verdict. The King looked thoughtful, obviously poring over all aspects of the subject as he usually did. The queen saw his pensive expression and looked mortified. "NEVER! That will drive her into more violent acts and she will never be an acceptable woman!" Haruka glared at her stepmother "I never wanted to be an acceptable woman! I want to be a knight!" Haruka clenched her fists, 'How could my father marry this... Thing?!' She asked herself, the queen had moved closer to her father and was whispering promises into his ear of kissing and caressing, Haruka wanted to punch her there and then – But she waited for an answer, hoping for the best and yet fearing the worst. She prayed her father good resist being tantalized but as he looked at her his eyes were mesmerized. "No." He stated, Haruka fell to the floor her dream crushed. She clenched dug her nails into her palm, 'You don't know who your dealing with second queen, the original is always better than a fake!' She was going to be a knight, no matter what measures will be taken.  
  
A/N: Sorry about the cliffhanger! If you would like to see what happens next then please review!


	2. Cast Away

Disclaimer: No.... I don't own Sailormoon so please don't sue me!  
  
The Queen didn't bother to hide the smug expression playing across her beautiful features; beauty was probably the only reason why her father married this woman, a need and a want to touch her, caress her was probably all that ran through his mind at the royal alter. Haruka spat, disgusted at the turn of events, the Queen grinned at her insubordination, "Haruka, you know we only did this for your benefit." Haruka clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, she had put up with the abuse for the past few hours but this was going too far, her eyes flashed with anger and she fought to keep her voice under control. "You know the law as well, you are only to call me by my true name if you are my family or my lover and I consider you neither, so for you it will always be Uranus. Or I will see to it you are banished to the dungeons with the rest of the defiance." She stood up angrily and turned away, her father looked appalled by her cruel actions, "Haruka!" But Haruka had already turned away and was running towards her room with the grace and speed of the wind, suppressing tears that she would not let fall since she was three and would not let fall now. Every emotion that she ever felt she had trapped in a bottle, never letting it free, earning her a cold, cruel exterior and the fear of many of her subjects but she honestly didn't care, because very deep down inside she knew that somehow, some way it was true.  
  
Haruka pushed the door to her room open, the chamber maid's took one simple glance at their mistress's face and fled quickly, but not a second before picking up the gentle Uranian Vase that signified the power of the Uranian Kingdom. It was a family heirloom passed to each princess encrusted in topaz and shining gold, instead they replaced it with an ordinary cylinder, remembering the last time their princess was like this and how she shed no mercy on the pottery shattering it about her. Haruka waited impatiently until the last maiden fled and slammed the door with enough power to cause the room to shake. Collapsing on her bed she clenched her fists and bit her lip, "She has no right to rule over me, she is not even of true Uranian blood... How can she influence my father to say yes or no?" Haruka knew why but she wasn't about to admit it. Slowly she pulled a sheathed object out from under her bed, it was a rusty, dirty sheath that smelled of old and wear, but it was what was inside that counts. Haruka placed her hand around the golden hilt and slowly pulled forth a brilliantly shining sword, relishing the sound of the ring as it escaped its confines. Haruka examined the blade slowly then leaped to her feet, she begun a pattern that required great balance she learned while watching the knights train. Swiveling on her heel she moved the sword with accurate precision and motion, she was relishing in the perfect atmosphere when all of a sudden she didn't look where she was aiming. The blunt side of the sword smashed into the replacement vase shattering it into several pieces. Haruka cursed lowly as she heard voices and footsteps coming to investigate the commotion. Quickly she sheathed the sword and stuck it under her dress, she didn't want anyone to see her like this so she did all she could think of doing. Leaping out the window she grabbed onto a nearby tree and swung to the floor, she landed oddly and her ankle cracked but she kept her mouth shut and didn't allow herself to groan in pain. She then smiled and began her path towards the transportation rooms just as the door to her room opened, "Hey... There's no one in here. THIEF! THEY STOLE THE VASE!" Haruka's eyes widened as she heard the woman's words and search lights came on all around.  
  
'What kind of idiot... I'm not a thief!' She thought and ducked into some bushes, 'They think someone stole the vase!' Quickly she ducked into the bushes trying to avoid the lights and scent of the dogs. She began crawling and inching her way towards the transportation room, her dress snagging on branches as she went. One thorn from the rose bush dug into her thigh a few feet from the transportation chambers and she cried out in surprise. Well that sure was enough to cut it, dogs were after her in less than a second and their human companions were following. She had too much of a head start on them so they could see there faces but she made a mad dash for the Neptunian doorway. Yanking out her key she shoved it into the locket and in a flash of blue lights she landed on the lush grasses of the Neptunian palace garden. A guard whipped out his communicator, "Uranus reaching Neptune! We have a possible intruder in your sector, possibly a thief of the Uranian Vase! Over and out!" The guards of the palace of Neptune got the message and began fanning out.  
  
Haruka stood over Michiru's bed, it was a stroke of luck that there was ivy growing up to her room or else she would never have been able to make it, she praised her arms too.... Enough muscles to withstand that punishment, muscles a princess shouldn't have. Haruka gently bent down to shake Michiru, the blue-haired beauty groaned in response and Haruka shook a little harder. "Neptune! Neptune, wake up it's me!" Michiru opened her eyes to gaze into fiercer ones of another, "Wha?!" She cried and pulled her blankets to her chest in fear that this was another suitor, slowly her eyes adjusted to the light and her mouth fell open and the blankets dropped back down to her lap. "Uranus? What are you doing here?" Haruka smiled at her silky white nightgown, she usually wore pants to sleep but that proves how different the two friends were. Michiru reached over and turned on a lamp, "Uranus... What happened to you?" Haruka smiled and began to tell the whole tale... How she watched the knights train and envied them with everything she had, how she waited until she was sixteen to request to take part in that training, how she was shot down. She related all this down to the mistake of her as a thief. Michiru listened intently the whole time until the story winded down to a finish and Michiru gathered the bigger girl in her arms, "I'll help you, no matter what I'll help you become a knight!" Haruka smiled, "Thank you Neptune..."  
  
Michiru pushed Haruka away from her gently and looked her up and down, "Hmm... Athletic yet boyish body, good strong facial features, blonde hair, flat-chested, a less than feminine voice..." Haruka looked offended, "Hey! I thought you were supposed to be helping me!" She teased, Michiru smiled, "Well Uranus, how would you like a shorter boyish haircut?" Her partner's eyes began to clear in recognition, "Neptune... I think you're a genius."  
  
Michiru placed Haruka in a chair in front of the mirror, she pulled out some scissors and pulled Haruka's long hair into her hand, gently she snipped off an inch or two until it ended just halfway down her neck, no drastic measures. She then picked up something she called barrettes and pulled the rest of Haruka's hair into her hands, curling it under then flattening it so that it appeared very short, she also cut her bangs oddly and made a cute little flip in her hair. Haruka was blindfolded the whole time so that this would remain a surprise, Michiru then went into her brothers room and peeked through his closet. He was a Neptunian Knight but he had some outfits in gold from when he went to court Uranus, gently she picked out something that looked like it would fit Haruka. Sneaking back into her own room she stood Haruka up, "All right, promise not to look?" She said handing Haruka the clothes, "Just put these on with the blindfold, it's only pants and a button up jacket so it shouldn't be hard." Haruka nodded and followed her friends bidding, the pants were easy but it took her a few tries to get the button right, she put the sword sheath in the pant hook that Michiru supplied her standing up she called, "I'm ready." Michiru walked in and gasped, "Uranus! You look so handsome!" Slowly she walked up and guided Haruka to a mirror, then removed the blindfold from her eyes.  
  
Haruka looked up, no longer was an average woman looking back at her.... But a handsome man with sandy blonde hair and a strong jaw, he had what seemed to be a muscular chest but that was nothing other but hidden breasts and his sheath hung by his leg at duty. Haruka admired the person before her, hardly able to believe that she was the person she was looking at. Michiru smiled and put a hand on her shoulder, "Hiroko-kun, you are truly worthy to be a knight now." Haruka looked confused, "Hiroko? I understand why you said kun but why can't I just use my real name?" Michiru grinned, "Silly, if you use your real name you might be recognized! Hiroko is a Neptunian name that several Uranian knights go by meaning 'noble' loosely translated." Haruka smiled and wrapped Michiru in a hug, "Arigato Neptune!" She cried happily, Michiru smiled and patted her back, "My pleasure, now you better get back to the castle before someone realizes your gone." Haruka nodded, she picked up her dress and balled it up in her fist before putting it in her pocket. She'd change clothes when she got home, she wanted to enjoy the feel of trousers just a little while longer.  
  
A man clad in aqua blue peered out past Haruka, "So that's why Princess Neptune didn't want me as a suitor? She already had a man visiting her chambers at night. Well Neptune-hime, such improperness can't be tolerated in the royal house... Unless of course, you are being improper with me. Just wait Neptune-sama, one of these days you'll have another visitor in your chambers. One you didn't expect."  
  
A/N: I'm sorry if this chapter is kinda shaky... Well... If you liked it please leave a review!


	3. Making it Happen

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Sailormoon or any of the SM characters used in this fic, thankyou!

A/N: It's been two years since I've even so much as looked as this fic, so I guess I'm using it as my guinea pig to see if I've still got my skills. Bear with me, and enjoy this chapter!

Haruka groaned as she sat up in bed, her crazy antics from last night were catching up with her and she was basically sore in just about every area. The thief alert had been called off after one of the maids had said that she had taken the Uranian vase in fear of Haruka's wrath. The guards then simply assumed the body they saw fleeing was Princess Uranus going for a run after she broke the vase to clear her mind as well as avoid her parents wrath for the second time that night. They were half-right. She realized she had cuts and bruises all over her long legs and arms but id didn't matter, she was going to be a knight and in the light of that revelation all pain just faded away. Haruka never knew exactly why she wanted to be a knight, but she knew one thing - She loved having something to protect. Something Saturn had said a long time ago struck her pretty hard and she'd remembered it ever since, "A man has not begun to live until he can live his life for someone else." In becoming a knight those men gave their lives silently to protect the royal family, for that was their duty. But Haruka obviously couldn't solely protect herself so she'd just have to keep searching, keep searching for that cause that she was willing to give her life for. Haruka turned and looked at tht ime, it was late! It was hours after sunrise and she had a lot she needed to do before the castle began to wake up, so she silently slipped on a simple day dress and after a hesitating look at her shoes - all containing heels - she decided to go barefoot. She was only going to the gardens after all. Picking up her Plants and Their Uses textbook, her sword, and her bag she slipped out the window without so much as a sound and ran to the gardens, she would have to do this fast.

"Red rose, white roses, silver roses... Where are the damned golden roses?!" Haruka could feel herself getting frustrated and took a couple deep breaths. She referenced her textbook again and this time let her eyes travel to the very bottom of the page where it read 'The Golden Rose is a very rare and powerful Uranian plant. It is rumored that it is only grown in the royal castles but out of a survey most castle inhabitants have confessed they've never so much as seen one.' Haruka's eyes lit up, of course! She should have known that what she was looking for wouldn't have been here, it was too risky. If it were anywhere it would be in the sanctuary where only the royal family was permitted. She looked down the gardens and saw the giant stone wall covered in ivy. She ran up to it fumbling a little with all the trinkets she was carrying weighing her down. She pulled her castle key out of her bosom - basically the only pocket allowed to her in such a dress - and put it in the key hole. A gap opened in the stone and Haruka stepped through, the stone wall closing immediately behind her. She looked around and gasped. She had only been in here once before but she had forgotten how beautiful it was. There was a fountain that had a Uranian goddess of mythology in the center, it was kind of funny because when you think goddess you would think a graceful, gentle women with gorgeous hair and a long dress. You couldn't be more wrong about this goddess. Oddly, she was wearing a miniskirt, had very short cropped hair, and was in a fierce fighting stance with water being thrown up all around her. Very odd indeed. There were all sorts of exotic plants everywhere that dazzled your eyes, but Haruka was on a mission. She squinted and looked around for a tiny twinge of gold. There was pink, purple, silver, a color she'd never seen before, rainbow, bronze, white, gold, yellow, orange - Wait! Wait! Gold?! She ran up to the flower that she had almost missed in passing and picked it up, it was a long-stemmed beautiful golden rose in full bloom and it had not a single thorn. She jumped in excitement but kept her mouth shut, the maids were starting to awaken so she decided to do her deed here rather than in her room where someone might accidentally walk in on her. She opened her textbook and read through it quickly :

The Uranian Golden Rose holds great power. Once picked from it's bush they become a material similar to crystal, yet they are unbreakable unless the owner wishes them broken and they never wilt nor fall apart. The Golden Rose has the power to allow someone to transform from one identity to another by simply holding it out and twirling it around with one's fingers. The roses are illegal to possess unless approved by the king or queen of your planet. If, by chance, you are allowed to possess a Golden Rose the way in which you activate it is by dressing yourself up as you normally would and this would be your main identity, the appearance as the rose would recognize as the true you. This appearance will change as you change, with age, height, etc. Spin the rose twice to the left and then set it on the ground. Now change into your other appearance or your secondary identity, this appearance the rose would recognize as the Other You, or the person you wish to become temporarily. This does not change as you change, meaning it is irreversible and does not change with age, height, etc. Notice, any physical changes made in this phase will be reversed after the magic is finished. For example, if you cut off a limb it would be replaced once you change back to your main identity and severed again once you change to your secondary identity. Twirl the rose twice to the right in this appearance and a strong golden light emitted from the rose will tell you the process is complete. After the initial process, no change is necessary on your part other than twirling the rose either to the left or the right to assume the appearance you wish as the moment.

Haruka's eyes lit up, that's it! That's it! This is truly perfect for her to change to Hiroko from Haruka and back again, because, to be honest, all that changing of clothes was exhausting. She dusted off her dress and picked up the rose, she twirled it twice to the left and placed it on the ground, she could feel power surging through her body already. She quickly removed her dress after a quick look around and pulled Neptune-chan's brother's outfit out of the bag. She put it on, careful to flatten her breasts just as Neptune reminded her last night and to button everything correctly. When she was satisfied she picked up her sword and put it in her belt. Slowly, she bent down to pick up the rose when a lock of blonde hair fell over her shoulder. Haruka winced, she had forgotten the barettes! Well what was she going to do now? She couldn't go back to the castle because the maids would have seen her and who knows when would get another chance like this?! She groaned and started thinking about what to do when her eyes fell back on the page 'Any physical changes made in this phase will be reversed.' Haruka gulped, she looked at her hair, at her sword, and then at her hair again. If she screwed up there would be no other chances because this kind of magic could only be performed once. She gripped and her nerves settled down when she heard the customary 'schwing' of metal on metal, she knew she could do this - even without training she was a pro with this thing. She quickly pulled the sword through her hair before there was time for any second thoughts and watched them fall to the floor behind her. She looked at her reflection in the sword. She looked exactly the same as when Neptune had fixed her up but she knew if she rotated the sword to the back of her head there would be no collage of metal barettes, nothing. She looked at the fountain at the statue of the Uranian goddess and noticed at that moment that she looked remarkably similar to the work of art. _Who knows,_ she thought,_ maybe I'll be like her some day. _She resheathed her sword and slowly bent down to pick up the rose. "Here goes nothing," she muttered as she twirled the rose twice to the right. She was thrown to the floor by a powerful burst of gold energy but she was so happy she allowed herself to laugh out loud. She stood up and laughing started playing with the rose, twirling it this way and that and staring at her body in amazement. Hiroko this moment, Haruka the next, Hiroko, Haruka, Hiroko, Haruka, Hiroko. She grinned and stuffed her bag into one of the nearby bushes along with her textbook. She hid the rose in the pocket of her pants and looked at the sunset, _I have to hurry, initiations is about to start!_

"As knights you will be trained one-one-one by one of the current knights, that is, if you pass the initial test. A burly old man walked back and forth in front of Haruka and several other men. It was all Haruka could do to keep a hard, straight face and not squirm in excitement. The anticipation of a knight's training along with the exhilaration that, with Neptune's help, she was doing something her parents would forbid her from was almost too much. She had registered under the nickname Hiroko, not telling anything about her past or even so much as saying she was a man. This was she wasn't TOTALLY lying, everyone else was simply assuming. Or, this is what she tried to convince herself of at least. "The initial test will involve you showing us some of your best sword work and from there we will decide whether or not you are worthy of the training to become a Uranian knight. First up, is Keiichi. Everyone else setep back and watch." Haruka watched as several nervous, bumbling knight wannabes went through their sword form. Haruka grinned, she had been practicing since she was eight years old, this was going to be a piece of cake. "Hiroko!" Haruka snapped to attention and stepped up to the center of the ring. She took a couple breaths to steady herself and pulled out her sword. As soon as she felt that well-worn hilt in the palm of her hand, she knew she could do this. With great precision and focus she went through her form and finished with a little bit of free styling just to see what she was capable of without worrying whether or not she would break a vase. When she was finished, she smiled satisfied and went to the back of the other men. A short blonde man leaned over and whispered, "Hey man! That was really nice, you got to teach me that someday!" Haruka was a bit taken a back at how informally this little man was speaking to her, but then she remembered, she was no longer a princess - just a common boy. "Thanks, maybe someday I will." She answered and returned her attention to the instructor. "Alright men, you've done very well. I believe you all have potential so I shall pair you up with a knight that will instruck you and from there on we will eliminate as needed." Haruka bit her lip in anticipation as he started reading off the names on the list. "Akuri and Xioxing, Rei and Touji, Hiroko and Ryouchi." Haruka looked up, a man wearing an aqua blue uniform was walking towards him. He had long black hair in a low ponytail, startling green eyes, and he seemed to be about nineteen. His gaze was so fierce and, almost sinister, that it caused Haruka to feel off-balance. This was going to be a nightmare.

Ryouchi stared at his partner, Hiroko. _I've seen him before.. I know I have, even if at a distance._ He set his jaw, well one thing is for sure. This boy seems way too delicate to be a knight, he was going to have to make Hiroko's training hell in order to toughen him up for what really happens out here. Plus, the mere sight of the boy somehow made him angry. He got very close to Hiroko and muttered, "Listen and listen well. You're not ready to be a knight, you need to toughen up and you need toughen up fast. If I have to, I will make this training hell for you. I will make it hurt and I may even make you cry, so quit now before you get in too deep." The boy stared back at him for awhile before answering in an, even though Ryouchi hated to admit it, equally scary voice. "I can take hell. I don't cry. And I'm going to be a knight even if it kills me, so you'd better watch yourself because you never know when a student will overpower his teacher." Ryouchi clenched his fists, he couldn't put his finger on why this boy infuriated him so, but he knew the fact that he found the kid attractive REALLY pissed him off. _Maybe if I scratch up that pretty face a little bit he wouldn't look so beaut- I mean feminine!_ "Alright then tough guy, let us begin."

A/N: This was basically an explanatory chapter that way I don't jump the gun and put all this stuff in there that will confuse you without giving you details. ; If you liked it, please review! More romantic chapters coming in the near future. Jaa!


	4. Uncomfortable Questions

Disclaimer: I still don't own Sailormoon, not rich enough. But I DO own the characters and plotlines for this fic so any sort of plagiarism is OFF limits. XD I ran across that with my CCS fic.

A/N: This is the most shoujo-ai-y chapter so far. If you're offended by female/female relationships, turn back now. Chapter rated PG13.

"Go Hiroko-kun!" Neptune yelled from the sidelines. It had been three weeks since Haruka had started her training and her best friend had showed up at every match since the first one. Unfortunately, Neptune wasn't as adept at disguising herself as she was others so she showed up at every single training session in her full princess garb, everything sans the crown. It was quite an uncomfortable situation considering many of the knights in training fancied her and very, very uncomfortable questions arose but Haruka didn't have the heart to tell her the truth about what was going on so there she was at every match cheering her on totally oblivious as to the fact that men were drooling over her as she spoke, oblivious to the fact that Haruka was fighting off questions such as 'Have you gotten to second base yet?' with a smirk and wave of her hand, she came totally oblivious as to the uproar she was causing.

"It's really odd for a princess to come and support a knight like that, especially someone with as little talent as you who probably has never even seen the entrance of the Neptunian castle much less met the princess herself. What is your relationship with her?" Ryouchi asked leaping to the left and attacking towards Haruka's midsection. In the three weeks Haruka had known Ryouchi she had learned three things, one, he was extremely arrogant. Two, he fancied Neptune-chan just as much as the other knights, actually a little more to the fact that it was sort of creepy. And three, for some reason he had also made Haruka a little uncomfortable, almost like he was coming onto her sometimes. I guess you could say she discovered four things, even if the fourth was basically an opinion – He was a real jerk.

"I know her better than anyone else. We've been friends for a very long time and that's why she comes to cheer me on. Not that it's any of your business what our relationship is; it's not like you're ever going to get with her anyway." Haruka countered both verbally and physically dodging his blow and turning her sword to block his. In the three weeks she had also grown considerably in her swordsmanship, not very far from matching Ryouchi's skill level.

Ryouchi face turned red and he grimaced in something akin to fury, he twisted his sword to the right and pushed Haruka to the ground, Haruka blinked – this had to be an illegal attack – but she reached out and grabbed Ryouchi by the collar bringing her down with her. He landed on top of her and both of them were crammed up next to a fence.

"Just watch, Hiroko," He said the name with a sneer, "I'm seeing Madame Neptune tonight. And I'm going to get farther with her than you _ever_ have."

Haruka felt something at the back of her throat, a burning sensation. It traveled down her arms and her back towards her fist. "We'll see about that." She said as she slammed her fist into Ryouchi's face with such fervor that it sent him flying.

"Hiroko! Ryouchi! What the hell do you think you're doing?" The man that was conducting the training came over and yanked Haruka to her feet, she shook him off disdainfully. "This is knight training, not common street fighting. Both of you, leave, and this session is dismissed." Ryouchi got up and gave Haruka a really rude gesture, which she countered with a gesture of her own and she bent down to pick up her sword walking towards Neptune in the balconies.

"What happened?" Neptune asked but Haruka shrugged off the question, putting her sword in the hilt of her belt. "Nothing," she answered, "Let's go somewhere, I don't even want to think about this right now."

"What do you mean you have dinner with him tonight?!" Haruka bellowed slamming her fist into the table shaking the crystalline glasses of ice water.

"Lower your voice," Neptune whispered, "People are staring."

Haruka blushed and sat back down, "Why are you going to dinner with him? Can't you tell he's a jerk?"

"I can tell alright, but I didn't get much of a choice in the situation. He went through my father, not me, to ask and you know how my father is about getting me a suitor."

"I don't trust Ryouchi, I don't trust him at all." Haruka grumbled picking at her fettuccine, the conversation had caused her to lose her appetite.

"Neither do I but I really don't have much of a choice, Uranus, look at you you're hair's getting in your food." Neptune leaned over the table and brushed Haruka's hair back behind her ears, "I think you look better with short hair." Haruka nodded, she had to change back into her princess form to avoid even more unsettling questions about their relationship, she really did miss her short cut and trousers though.

"Just be careful Neptune-chan, be careful for me okay?"

Michiru smiled as she settled back into her chair and picked up her fork, "Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself, really I can. Now let's go before we give the owner a coronary with all the commotion we were making."

They got up and left, Haruka dropping a couple coins down to pay.

"Neptune-hime! You look even better in person." Ryouchi said at the door taking her hand and leading her towards his carriage, Michiru smiled and took her hand back stepping into the compartment behind the driver and his horses.

"You're quite a charmer, Ryouchi."

"I can't help it." He said stepping in behind her and closing the door, "Where would you like to eat?"

"Somewhere close. I need to be back home in an hour." Michiru had exaggerated her curfew a bit, the shorter the dinner the better.

"Alright, no problem. There's a café down the street we can eat at, I know the owner so we can get a private room." _Plus, a lot of my friends go there and what will they think when they see me with this Neptunian Goddess?!_ He added in his mind, but that would be nothing compared to what he was going to be able to tell them tomorrow. Tonight will be amazing – For both him and Neptune.

The carriage set off, Michiru pushed herself into the corner trying to get as far away from Ryouchi as possible. The bright aqua blue suit made her kind of dizzy, sure it was her planet's color but he could've toned it own a bit.

"We're here." The driver said and Ryouchi got out of his seat walking around to open the door for her, she got out carefully and landed with an almost inaudible click of her heels. He took her hand and led her to the entryway smiling slyly at the host. "A table, in the back if you will." He nodded and began leading the way.

"So, Neptune-sama, how do you like it so far?"

"I'm having fun, you make for interesting company."

Ryouchi grinned and nodded, "I know. And you're pretty amazing yourself." He scooted closer to Michiru putting his hand over hers, she closed her eyes forcing herself not to move away and thinking repetitively _Thirty more minutes... Thirty more minutes..._

_She's closing her eyes!_ He thought, _ya! This must be a signal to move in._ Ryouchi smiled and leaned in closer to Michiru putting his lips closer to hers, Michiru's eyes snapped open to see him in her face and she freaked out pushing him away into the back of the booth.

"What was that for?!" He bellowed.

"I... uh... I'm not feeling well, let's go home." _Why was he that close to me? That jerk!_

"Alright, fine." He said getting to his feet like a little baby. He stalked out and Michiru followed, laughing to herself. Definitely a little baby.

"We're here." He said getting out and opening the door for her standing in front of the Neptunian castle. He had to make up for his actions somehow so he started walking her to the door, "I'm sorry about earlier. I just couldn't help myself, you looked like an angel with your eyes closed."

Michiru smiled uneasily, "Thank you." She said as she put in the password to open the door, Ryouchi followed her in. "Goodnight, beautiful Neptune-hime. I have to go speak to the king." He said and walked off. Michiru looked after him for a second then bolted to her room, Ryouchi grinned.

_Alright, Neptune-hime... Even if you don't think so, tonight you're mine._

He turned on his heel and followed Michiru stealthily up the stairs, using all his training as a night not to make a sound. Not that it mattered much; the walls in here were soundproof anyway.

Michiru dashed into her room and lay down on her bed, _That was completely miserable. Never, never will I go out with someone just to humor my dad again._ She closed her eyes and spread her arms out taking in the silence, she was about to fall asleep when all of a sudden she felt a heavy weight on top of her. Holding her down. She looked up to see Ryouchi and opened her mouth to scream but his hand was over her lips muffling any sound.

"Tonight, tonight your mine." He said as he ripped the fabric of her dress efficiently from top to bottom, completely exposing her. He held her by the wrists and started moving down her body, Michiru fought back but to no avail. He _was_ a knight after all.

_Help me... Someone._

Haruka frowned, throwing her novel across the room, yet another ploy to get her mind off Neptune that didn't work. She got up and looked out her window at the other planet in the distance. _I really can't do this_, she thought, _I need to go see if the dinner went okay. He's too skeevy._ She looked down at the ground to see if the coast was clear and slowly began scaling the wall to the floor, using footholds and grips she knew so well to get to the bottom. How many times had she done this to go see Neptune-chan? But tonight, tonight it was different. And then she ran, faster than she's ever run before, faster than the wind. Because she knew, beneath her consciousness she knew that her best friend was in trouble.

Haruka reached the portal and typed in the password to Neptune at warp speed, in less than seconds she was outside the palace gates. Time was off the essence here. She looked in the window and saw not the outline of one body, but two. She was already late, she dashed up to the door of the castle but thought best of it. She didn't have time for the questions or chit chat that she knew was going to arise. Instead she decided to take a risk and scale Neptune's wall as well. She had no clue where this urgency came from, where this adrenaline came from but when you knew someone as well as she knew Neptune then you could feel when they were happy, when they were sad, and most of all when they felt fear. She slipped on one of the stones but quickly found another foothold, her safety didn't seem to matter anymore. She got up to Neptune's window and looked inside; she saw a big aqua blue blob because she couldn't really tell much because Neptune's window was designed not to show detail. But she sure as heck knew that blob anywhere, Ryouchi. She looked down at herself, she was wearing a dress, no sword, no weapons, nothing. _I can't face Ryouchi like this, he'll surely defeat me. _Then she had an idea, she'd probably get in more trouble for this than ever before but she had no other choice. She reached into her bosom and seized her golden rose, twirling it this way and that and becoming Hiroko. Sword and all. _Here goes nothing._ She thought as she jammed her shoulder into the window, with all the adrenaline going through her it gave way easily and she climbed in. But nothing, nothing on Earth could have prepared her for what she saw.

Ryouchi was lying on a bed with Neptune, and Neptune was completely naked. _What the?! I thought she didn't like him?_ She stared at them and they stared back and Haruka was in complete disbelief, then she noticed Ryouchi's hand covering Neptune's mouth and the tears streaming down her face. It took a lot, a lot to make Neptune cry and a rage unlike any Haruka had ever felt before traveled down her spine.

"I'm going to kill you." She said grabbing her sword and Ryouchi got up.

"Hiroko?! What do you think you're doing here?! Do you know the price you'll have to pay for breaking in to a princess's chambers?"

Haruka nearly blew up at the hypocrisy in that statement. "Do you?!" She bellowed and charged at him her sword aimed at his stomach, Ryouchi was taking a back and wasn't even on his guard. Haruka was about to completely spear him when she saw Neptune's eyes wide open and knew, she knew Neptune-chan couldn't take seeing someone die at her best friend's hands. So at the last second she turned her sword and slammed it in the back of Ryouchi's head knocking him unconscious. She then hoisted him up and threw him out the open window to a patch of bushes she knew would hurt him considerably but would provide enough cushion not to kill him. She could feel her heart start to calm and resheathed her sword, then she looked up. And with all the anger gone she saw Princess Neptune. Standing there, scared, vulnerable, weak. Haruka got up and walked over to her, without words she opened her arms and her best friend fell into them, and for awhile all they did was hold each other. Haruka providing the strong arms Michiru had always been looking for, Michiru providing the love and compassion that only a woman could give that motherless Haruka had been searching for all her life.

And in that moment, everything seemed complete. They parted and Haruka looked in Michiru's eyes, and all the rules slipped away. The rules of a man and a woman, of princesses and princes, they fell away and Haruka leaned down and kissed her best friend. Passionately. They fell onto the bed and that was when Haruka finally decided that this was what she wanted. They lay there for what seemed like hours then Haruka started to get up realizing this looked bad, REALLY bad. "Uh... Eh... Neptune... I gotta go, I mean, uh..." She blushed and fumbled with her sword but then Neptune sat up,

"You're not going to leave me alone are you?! He's still out there?! And... And... I feel more protected when I'm around you."

"But... Neptune-chan, do you KNOW how bad this looks?"  
"I don't care. I don't care at all."

Haruka sighed and took off her jacket, what's the difference anyway? It's just another slumber party, but this time it felt like they were on different terms.

"Alright. Alright. But I'm leaving before anyone finds out."

She crawled into Neptune's bed and wrapped her arms around her best friend, sleeping for the first time with the warmth of someone else next to her.

"Get him Hiroko! Get him!" Haruka looked up and laughed, some things never changed. She was sparring Xioxing and winning by quite a few blows. She ended the fight with a quick 'Touché' to Xioxing's stomach and they parted with a bow, ending training. Rei, the blonde boy from before, Touji, and a couple others came over. "Hey, Hiroko, Princess Neptune seems happy today. Did you guys get together finally or something?" Haruka was about to do her usual reply, rolling her eyes and telling them to get their heads out of the gutter, that there was nothing between them, but she thought better of it. This time she just smiled and said:

"Maybe, Touji, maybe."

A/N: XD That was my first time writing romance in two years. I'm a little rusty; I think more practice is needed. Meaning, time to start working on my novel some more!


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